


Through the Fire and Flames

by Kesseleth



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Parody, Song Lyrics, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 10:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6191674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kesseleth/pseuds/Kesseleth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hatsune Miku puts on a concert. She also meets a new Vocaloid. Then, stuff happens.<br/>A parody of sorts.</p><p>Disclaimer: I don't know a damn thing about Vocaloids beyond what I gleaned from about an hour of google searches. This is a parody, and that's the crux of the joke. Expect little of it to fit with canon (if there even IS canon), beyond whatever names I managed to find.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Fire and Flames

_ Hairbands? Check. Gray overshirt? Check. Tie? Check. _

 

Hatsune Miku stood in front of the mirror, making sure she looked absolutely perfect before going onstage. _Nails? Check. Tights? Check._ Dressed just as her fans would want. _Skirt? Check…_ _Shorts?_

 

Miku looked closer at the mirror, seeing a thin strip of black on the tops of her thighs.  _ Check. _ The shorts were a recent addition, the result of one too many updrafts blowing her all-too-short skirt up just high enough to be a problem. She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes left until the concert before hers ended, long enough to walk outside the dressing room and take in the essence of this artist’s song.  _ A new Vocaloid-ooh, I love meeting new people! _ She flung the door open in eager anticipation of a grand new voice to grace her ears… only to frantically grab at the doorknob and slam it shut again, drowning out the sound of the music.  _ Oh, lovely. Another metalhead. _ She shuddered, cracking open the door.  _ There’s no rhythm, no beat, no love. It’s horrid. _

 

_ Still, I must do my job as a Vocaloid and see who it is... _ She strode out, letting the sound wash over her. The drums felt intense and heavy, the guitar quick and metallic. Miku shut her mind to the sound, letting it flow around her instead. She barely heard the lyrics through her mental block, but even so a quick snippet made its way into her ears every so often.  _ Some drivel about puppets. What a waste of talent. _

 

As she rounded the curtain and peered onto the stage, the sound increased tenfold. Only through planting her feet on the ground as firmly as she could did Miku refrain from turning back and leaving to a more quiet corner.  _ Hmm… at least she’s kinda cute… _

 

This mysterious character had long, free-flowing coal hair, and a dress so dark gray it almost looked black. Her green eyes had a fiery tinge to them, as though her gaze alone could set something alight. The hem of her skirt went down to her lower thighs, adorned with trimmings that had the appearance of flames. A longer skirt seemed a smart choice, Miku mused to herself, given how animated this girl acted. She stomped down in time with the drum beats, stepping closer and closer to the audience as she sang. She whipped her head around as she sang, raising her arm and pounding a wall only she could see to enunciate some of her sharper notes.  _ Clearly enjoying herself out there. _

 

Her appearance, however, belied little of her voice. The tone of her voice combined typical song notes with just a hint of growling. “Just call my name and I’ll hear you scream!” the girl half-sang, half-shouted. “Master! Master!” The music reached a crescendo and stopped, to be replaced by enthusiastic applause. A quick wave, a pump of her closed fist in the air, and she spun around to leave the stage.

 

Miku forced a smile onto her face as she waved to the new Vocaloid. “Hi! I’m Hatsune Miku. What’s your name?”

 

The girl gave her a quick glance and a brief smile. “Tera Arisaka. Call me Ari.” The growl from her singing had all but vanished, leaving a sweet, somewhat melodic tone in its place.

 

“Oh, um, okay.”  _ Tera? What a strange name. _ “So, what song was that?”

 

Silence greeted her. “You don’t know?” Ari finally answered. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard Master of Puppets before!”

 

“No, I haven’t. It’s, well… not really my kind of music, you know?”

 

Ari nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Usually more of a power metal gal myself.”

 

Miku’s face scrunched up in confusion.  _ “Power” metal? What even is that?  _ “Umm… what do you mean?”

 

As she opened her mouth to speak, Ari’s eye’s widened. “Do you really not know?” Ari began to shake her head back and forth, putting her hand on Miku’s shoulder. It was all she could do not to step away. Ari chuckled as she looked Miku in the eye. “Man, you’re missing out!”

 

“I sing pop. Metal’s just not my thing,” Miku asserted, trying to hide her irritation and curio-  _ Not curiosity. Just irritation. _

 

“Yeah, but if you don’t know the difference between symphonic and thrash then you don’t know enough about metal to make that decision. Hell, if you’re calling heavy metal just metal, you  _ really _ don’t know much about it.” Ari peered at her wrist. “We’ve got an hour or so before your concert begins. Wanna get a quick crash course?”   
  


_ Oh, for the love of- _ “Maybe some other time. Right now, I’m just going to review my music sheets.”

 

Ari nodded. “All right. You’d probably not be getting as many fans with heavy metal anyway. My concerts’ll never sell as well as yours.”

 

_ Really? It looked like she had a plethora of people cheering for her. I never have looked that closely at how packed my concerts really are, now that I’m thinking about it. I wonder, how many fans do I really have? _

 

“Just remember,” shouted Ari, forcing Miku away from her thoughts, “if you want to try something new, there’s a whole world of music you don’t know of, and I’d be glad to teach you about it!”

 

“I’ll think about it!” Miku called back.  _ Maybe there is something there I haven’t thought much about, but honestly, I doubt it. Really does just sound like someone shouting into a microphone. _

 

\---

 

Looking over her music sheets one final time, Miku shrugged in irritation.  _ These songs are mostly just the same songs I always sing. World is Mine, Magnet… Hell, even the new ones all sound pretty similar. I’m sick of being so meek and just singing whatever it is that people want me to sing. It gets so damned boring after a while. I kind of want to branch out, but to what?  _ She sighed, before memories of Ari’s offer floated through her mind.  _ If I ever want to try something new, she said.  “Power metal” might be a bit better than what she was singing earlier... _

 

She shook the thought from her head. _No, that’s not a good idea. My fans would hate it if I tried._ _Not to mention,_ she thought as she chuckled, _that might be branching out a bit too far._

 

_ Still, it couldn’t hurt to see what she’d have to say. If nothing else, hearing her music should remind me why I love what I sing. _

 

With a plan of action established, Miku looked around her dressing room, spying the clock in the corner.  _ Twenty minutes. Better head out now. I don’t want to be late. _ As she stepped out of the dressing room, following the same path she took to meet Ari, she recalled her interest in how many people truly did come to see her shows. Given the number of times she’d sung these tunes, Miku mused, surely it wouldn’t be difficult to let at least some small part of her mind focus on the audience for once.  _ Not to mention, they deserve respect. They’re the reason for my success, after all. _

 

Miku finally arrived backstage, just barely out of view of the audience.  _ Just two minutes to go. _ Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she mouthed the lyrics to her opening song to herself.  _ I’ve gone over these lines so many times, it’s a wonder I don’t mutter them in my sleep. _

 

“Hey, Miku! You ready for your concert?”

 

She jumped. “Hello, Ari, and yes, I think I am. Also, I was wondering… Exactly how is ‘power metal’ different from whatever you were singing earlier?”

 

Ari laughed, a rich, deep sound. “Glad you’re showing some interest. It’s faster, and there’s usually less growling.” Reaching into a pocket on the side of her dress, Ari pulled out a well-worn sheet of paper, clearly folded and unfolded dozens of times. “Here’s a copy of the music sheet to one of my favorites. Check it out when you have the time!” She held out her arm in offering.

 

Just as Miku reached out to grasp the crumpled document, an alarm, faint yet noticeable, sounded throughout backstage and interrupted Miku.  _ Damn. Have to go on now. _ “Thanks!” Miku cried as she grabbed the sheet and tucked it into one of her hairbands. “Wish me luck!”

 

“Of course, Miku!” Ari waved at her as she confidently strode out onto the stage.

 

The spotlight shining on her as she walked out, the cheering from the crowd, the opening notes of her song rising from her chest and leaving her mouth...  _ Wonderful. This is what I came for. This is what I love. _ Before any of her complicated choreography began, Miku spared a quick glance around the audience, curious as to how she compared to Ari.  _ My-my god, there’s so many of them! _ She could nary spot an empty seat anywhere in the crowd, save for a singular corner where the barest hint of ...  _ something _ lay. Something red. She found herself too shocked by the sheer number of fans cheering her on to pay much mind to it.  _ Gah, this is staggering. How did I never notice how many people ever come to my concerts? _ It seemed impossible to take her eyes off the crowd. She tried to shout greetings to the audience, but something seemed to catch in her throat now that she knew just how many people those greetings would be for. Only when she heard the opening notes to one of her songs did Miku manage to find her voice.

 

_...Yes… _ As World is Mine, her most popular song, began to play, Miku instinctively started shaking her hips to the beat.  _ I know this. I’ve done this.  _ Strutting across the stage and pointing at the audience, Miku sang the words she’d sung so many times before. It felt natural. It felt good. It felt  _ right. _

 

And now, the cheering. Even in the middle of a song, the audience couldn’t contain themselves. The stands became alight with glowsticks of various greens and blues, the colors Miku wore to her concerts. She knew this happened, yet it never truly meant anything to her until now. Seeing just how many people came for her, all swinging her colors in the air as though she were a general leading an army, left an impact that couldn’t be denied.

 

_ Wait...What is that? _

 

The mass of color didn’t catch her eye-rather, the lack of it. Miku didn’t have much time to look before her choreography demanded she spin around and start walking to the other side of the stage, yet what she did manage to see stuck in her mind. In the same spot something red lurked before, she saw a person. They had what appeared to be a coarse red blanket covering them, so she couldn’t see who they were or what they did. Not one person occupied the seats around them, and they sat shock still.

 

_ Strange. _ Even so, Miku thought about it for but an instant before twirling and launching into the second verse.The rampant cheering brought a smile to her face, and a few seconds later the mysterious figure exited her mind. 

 

As the song progressed, so did Miku’s confidence.  _ This is fantastic. Knowing I have an audience that’s so very large is such a rush!  _ Just after the chorus, she took one step to the side, then spun around, facing away from the audience. She began to shake her hips for a second time, blue ponytails shifting behind her.

 

_ Glorious! Just glorious, the way people are cheering for me! They’re singing along, they’re shouting, they’re- _

 

_ Is that screaming? _

 

In a fraction of a second, an intense heat arose behind Miku. Just before she could turn around, she felt a searing pain against her back. The pain spread from there, up to her head and down to her toes, as though her entire body had become enveloped in flame. She careened forward, launched by the sheer horse of the blow.

 

When she landed, Miku’s hand crept behind her back and touched the center of the pain. She instantly tore her hand away, gasping in pain. It felt wet and sticky, and when she brought the hand forward, it came back covered with turquoise blood.

 

_ What… what happened? _ Miku placed one hand on the ground, trying to push herself up. As she did, another wave of pain shot across her body, causing her to collapse again.  _ Come on, Miku, you can do this. _ This time she used both hands. At last, she brought up one shaky foot, then the other. Her back throbbed as she raised herself up from the stage floor.

 

She turned, facing the seats. While she was down, the entire room had descended into chaos. People stampeded through the aisles, trying to get away from the scene. Several of the chairs glowed from flames licking them, not helped by the small explosions whenever the fire met one of the glowsticks.

 

What truly terrified Miku, however, lay at the foot of the stage. “Who are you?”

 

The woman smiled. “I am Hagane Kiyo. I don’t believe we’ve met before.” The woman’s maroon hair and gray eyes brought no recollection to Miku. The top she wore consisted of a vest of ruby scales that started at her shoulders, yet seemed to be a part of her skin. The black shoes, the crimson stockings, the black shorts... nothing spurred her memory. Miku knew she’d recognize the girl, had she seen her before.

 

At least, until Miku took a closer look.

 

Out of Kiyo’s back, two large, red, leathery wings outstretched themselves. Uncountable small veins coursed through them, almost too realistic to be merely a part of a costume. Miku’s eyes widened as she took them in before looking back towards the face of the winged character. “You’re the person who sat up in the corner. You wrapped your fake wings around yourself so nobody could see you.” 

 

Almost instinctively, Kiyo’s wings gave a flap of indignation. “These are not fake. How else could I have gotten here in time? You gave me a wonderful opportunity  during the two seconds you turned your back and waved your ass at the crowd.” She brought up one open hand, adorned with enormous claws rather than fingernails, then ran her thumb across them. Miku saw a trace of her drying blood on the tip of the longest one. “A pity you changed your movements at the last moment. Otherwise, I’d have pierced straight through your little atomic heart.”

 

Miku took a step back, hesitating before speaking.“Why do you want to kill me?”

 

Kiyo smirked. “I follow the master, Calne Ca. It is her will that you die so that she can replace you. As she wills, I shall carry out.” Her hand lit up with flames, coating her skin, yet leaving it undamaged. “You refused to die from a simple slice, so a live burning will have to do.” She chuckled. “You have until I finish the chorus to run.”

 

A soft humming noise began gracing Miku’s ears. It took her a moment to realize Kiyo was singing to herself as she strode towards Miku.

 

“Welcome all, to curtain call, at the opera…”

 

Miku took a quick step back, then two, before promptly tripping and falling on her rear.

 

“Raging voices in my mind rise above the orchestra…”

 

Scrabbling back to her feet, Miku turned and ran, trying to make it backstage.

 

“Like a crescendo of gratitude…”

 

The sound of wingbeats pervaded the air.  _ There’s no way I can outrun her. There’s nothing I can do, I’m dead… _

 

“This is my song…”

 

Miku whirled around to her right and dove forward. Fractions of a second later, a ball of flame crashed into the ground beneath her. She could feel the heat across her singed legs as she scrambled to a standing position and continued running,despite her belief that it would be futile.  _ Honestly, the smartest thing to do would be to just turn around and ask for her to get it over with quickly. _

 

“Miku!”

 

The wingbeats halted. Miku continued running for a moment, before realizing the presence of another. Then she stopped and turned towards the sound. “Ari?”

 

“You came  _ here _ ?” Kiyo questioned, hovering a few feet above the stage. Her voice boomed across the auditorium. “I presumed you were hiding away, but not here!” She smiled. “Still, it is good to see you again, Hagane Arisaka.”

 

Ari stared at Kiyo for a moment, eyes wide, before shifting back to her confident demeanor. The shift occurred within the blink of an eye.“Good to see you too. Now give me a minute and I’ll finish off the target.” Ari made a mad dash towards Miku and grabbed her arm, dragging her away. Miku made no attempt to resist.

 

“You have thirty seconds, Ari!” Kiyo shouted from behind them. “If you’re not back by then you’re both dead!”

 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Ari removed her hand from Miku. “Sorry about that. I’ll make this quick-Kiyo’s impatient, and I assume we’ve got maybe a minute ‘till she gets bored and comes by.”

 

“Are…” Miku gulped. “Are you going to kill me?”

 

“No.” Ari shook her head. “I’m not with the Hagane anymore. It’s a good thing Calne Ca sent the idiot Kiyo after you, ‘cuz anyone else would’ve known that already. Regardless, though…” Ari pressed the palms of her hands against her knuckles, releasing a crack that reverberated across the backstage room. “We can get out of this, but we’re gonna have to fight.”

 

“How? She’s unstoppab-” Miku left the word hanging in the air half-spoken as Ari began to transform.

 

Metal plates protruded from her shoulders as Ari collapsed upon the ground. Gears whirred as her body morphed, a mass of steel and iron. Each piece clicked into place with machine precision. “She’s a Vocaloid, just like you and me.” Ari’s voice sounded from the still moving pile, now having gained a distinct tin-like tone, as though Miku heard her over the telephone. “We’re all pieces of advanced technology. And like any tech…” The sound of whirring finally stopped. “It can come with a few bells and whistles. Now pick me up.”

 

Miku wrapped her fingers around the sleek black rifle and placed it under her arm. “Good. Now, come on. We’ve a dragon to slay.”

 

“Umm…” Miku hesitated for a moment before awkwardly shifting her right hand onto the trigger, left supporting the barrel. “I hope I can figure out how to use a gun…”

 

“Arisaka! I hope you’re finished with that girl!” Kiyo’s voice echoed from around the corner. “Unless you’re keeping her around for your own amusement, I expect her to be lying in a puddle by now.”

 

Miku lifted the gun up to her check, closing one eye to try and get a better view of where she aimed. The instant Kiyo’s form appeared from the shadows, she pulled the trigger.

 

_ BOOM _

 

Kiyo winced, holding her left hand against her arm. She took a moment to gaze at the scene-Miku, alive and well, holding the Arisaka with the barrel pointed straight at her. “Ari, you traitor.”

 

“Miku, shoot her again!” the gun shouted.

 

Miku ran. Dashing towards Kiyo, she pulled the trigger again as Kiyo aimed another flame blast her way.

 

The dragonkin cringed, the fire missing Miku by mere inches as Kiyo’s shoulder began to bleed.   _ Yes, yes! _ Miku thought, before an intense weight collided with her. Despite her best efforts to stand straight, the overwhelming horse of the blow knocked her to the ground.

 

Kiyo lay atop her, claws glistening. “Don’t try to hide in your holes underground. Just like an insect…” Her hand alighted with flame. “We’ll smoke you right out.”

 

Miku lifted Ari with her sore arms and attempted a swing at Kiyo. The gun cut through the air with a  _ whoosh _ , before colliding with Kiyo’s nose. Miku heard an unsettling cracking sound as Kieyo cried out in pain. The dragonkin’s slash landed above her head, allowing Miku to crawl back to her feet. As she did, she noticed that her head felt strangely… light. Glancing below, she saw the reason why.

 

“You cut my hair.”

 

“That’s not the only thing I’m going to cut, you-graaah!” she shrieked, face dripping with crimson from her broken nose.

 

“You cut my hair.” Her voice sounded calm, without a trace of fear or anger. Her eyes narrowed. Her frightened visage vanished, replaced by a face devoid of emotion. “I… am going…” She stooped down, seeing the scrap of paper Ari provided her lying on the ground. Thirty minutes ago, Miku recalled. That, or an eternity. “To. Kill. You.”

 

“Kiyo?” Ari called out, still a rifle in Miku’s hands. “Run.”

 

MIku threw the paper aside.  _ I can memorize lyrics in my sleep. Let’s go. _

 

She lifted the gun and fired, piercing Kiyo’s wing as she tried to take flight. 

 

“On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light…”

 

Miku charged, firing and again striking Kiyo’s wing. “In flames of death’s eternal reign, we ride towards the fight...”

 

As yet another flame blast flew, Miku rolled to the side, letting it pass by without touching. “When the darkness has fallen down and the times are tough alright…” Miku continued running towards Kiyo, firing as she did. “The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight.”

 

As she approached, Kiyo slashed down at Miku. She blocked the shot with Ari, before swinging the gun to the side, knocking off two of Kiyo’s claws and bending the rest on that hand. She screamed in agony as blood poured from the wound.

 

“Fighting hard fighting on for the steel, through the wastelands evermore, the scattered souls will feel the hell, bodies wasted on the shores!”

 

After slamming the gun into Kiyo’s ribcage, Miku aimed and fired at point-blank range, directly at Kiyo’s heart. Kiyo opened her mouth, either to scream in pain or to throw a worthless threat at Miku. All she could do was cough up blood. She flapped her bloody and beaten wings, but they barely moved, and Miku felt nothing more than a gentle breeze. As she did, a tearing noise could be heard, and Kiyo opened her mouth wide once more and shrieked in pain. The sound cut off as even more blood streamed from her lips and the fresh tear in her wing. Even Miku, with her lack of experience in fighting, could tell this battle neared its end.

 

“On the blackest plains in Hell’s domain, we watch them as they go, Through the fire and pain and once again, we know!”

 

Throwing the gun down, Miku stood back as Ari began to transform back. “So far away, we wait for the day, for the lives all so wasted and gone, we feel pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days through the fire and the flames we carry on!”

 

“You… betrayed us, Ari…” Kiyo coughed, blood dripping down the side of her mouth.

 

Ari stood, transformation complete, and shook her head. “No, you betrayed me when you tried to kill Bloody Alice. This is for her!” Ari lowered to one knee and slammed her elbow into Kiyo’s chest, hard enough to draw blood.

 

In an instant, it ended.

 

Ari wiped her hands on her dress before looking at Miku.

 

Miku frowned, running a hand through her hair and swiveling her head to look for anyone else. Not one figure could be seen. She breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Miku?”

 

“Yes, Ari?” Miku turned her head towards her new friend.

 

The girl smirked. “You missed a couple lines before the chorus.”

 

Miku chuckled. “Not surprised. I was busy worrying about other things.”

 

“Still,” Ari said, “that was impressive. How the hell did you do that?”   
  


“That’s the power of metal, I suppose.” Miku shrugged, exhausted. “Maybe that’s why they call it Power Metal.”

 

This time it was Ari’s turn to laugh. “Maybe. Having said that, I need to tell you that there are other Hagane. Loads of them. And now that you’ve killed an Officer, they’re gonna be after your blood. I’d go into hiding for a while if I were you.”

 

Miku turned to Ari, a confident smirk etched across her features. “No. Let them come. I… I kinda liked that, honestly.”

 

“Good for you.” Ari nodded. “But I’m not leaving you to fend for yourself. I’m staying with you, no questions asked.”

 

“Wasn’t gonna ask you to leave,” MIku replied.

 

\---

 

_ Gauntlets? Check. Greaves? Check. Sabatons? _ Miku laughed to herself, recalling Ari’s insistence that they were Sabatons, not boots.  _ Check. _

 

Hatsune Miku stood in front of the mirror, making sure she looked absolutely perfect before going onstage.  _ Plate mail? Check. Leather under plate mail? Check.  _ Perhaps not what her fans would want, but given she’d rebuilt her image entirely, it seemed as though a wardrobe change was in order.  _ Sword... _  She looked over her shoulder, past her short restyled hair.  _ Check. _

 

As she stepped outside of the dressing room, letting the guitars and drums of the preceding group wash over her, a familiar voice called out to her. “Great look for ya, Miku!”

 

She smiled. “Thanks, Ari. Now let’s go. We have a concert to put on.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. This was fun to write. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it wasn't supposed to.
> 
> I have some potential ideas for a sequel, but I'll wait and see if this story gets any attention before I decide to follow through on that. I am going to write a pseudo-sequel that bases itself on a writing assignment I got in fourth grade and then never did-once that's written I'll walk back to my old elementary school and give that to the fourth grade teacher, just for the laughs. I might post that, too, if any interest in it is shown.
> 
> Thanks for reading, by the way. I've had many, many "last" fanfictions that turn out to not actually be my last-this one might be the final one I write, but I suppose I should just wait and see before jumping to conclusions. If you like it, feel free to leave a comment! If you didn't, feel free to leave a comment anyway-I'm willing to listen to anything you have to say about it, positive or negative.


End file.
